Ir Dovid (also known as Silwan after the Arab village that is
there), is the mountain ridge that drops away sharply
immediately to the south of the Dung Gate. It is located
between the Kidron that lies to its east and the Gei ben
Hinom valley to its west. This relatively small 14-acre area
was the location of the ancient Jewish capital of Jerusalem
for close to a thousand years during the Bayis Rishon and
Bayis Sheini eras.

Across the valley to the east of Ir Dovid is Har Hazeisim.
North and west of it is Har Zion. Due north is Har Hamoriah
(later called Har Habayis), and farther to the south is the
Armon Hanetziv mountain ridge.

In recent years, a number of Jewish developers have been
reclaiming Ir Dovid. Owned and settled originally by Jews,
the Arabs began to move in to the area after the Arab pogroms
in 1936 caused the Yemenite Jews who had lived there to flee.
Although even today the land is mostly owned by Jews, the
residents until a few years ago were mostly Arab squatters.
Now, due to the reclamation project of the last few years,
hundreds of Jews are living in Ir Dovid, and a kollel
and kindergarten are flourishing there.

As part of their agenda to reclaim the land and settle Jews
there, the developers have been carrying on extensive
excavations to discover the treasures which lie deep in the
ground. The past months have brought to the fore some
spectacular discoveries which connect to ancient Jewish
history and at times sound like a page right out of
Tanach.

Canaanite Times

The earliest reference that we have to this site is that it
was ancient Shalem, a small Canaanite town, ruled by
Malkitzedek who was Sheim ben Noach.

The little town existed with the help of a small spring in
the valley at the bottom of the east side of the mountainside
called the Gichon ("spurting out"). The citizens hewed an
underground tunnel which led to the water source, whose rocky
incline they would descend with pitchers on their shoulders
to bring water to their small one-room homes. The
continuation of this tunnel to the spring was discovered by
excavations in 1995. The tunnel emerges close to the spring
source, where it is protected by a massive fortress built at
the foot of the mountain. The average stones reinforcing the
fortress weigh 4-5 tons, while the largest stone so far
discovered is 13 tons. This is an amazing engineering feat
for those ancient times.

The Gichon occupies an illustrious place in Jewish history.
Not only did this spring water serve the city of Jerusalem,
but it is reputed to be the first place where Odom Horishon
immersed himself after being sent out of Gan Eden and the
place where he pleaded that Hashem accept his teshuvoh
(Pirkei DeRabi Eliezer 20).

Avram and Sheim

Avram, his servant Damesek Eliezer, and 316 servants and
members of his household were returning to their residence in
Chevron after having smitten Kedorlo'omer and his allies from
Mesopotamia. A long train of captives from Sodom whom they
had liberated straggled after them, while a train of donkeys
and camels carried the immense booty which had been recovered
from the marauders. They plodded through the Canaanite
mountains of the Shomron on the West Bank of the Jordan River
until they saw from afar the small city of Shalem surrounded
by mountains.

Avram's very elderly ancestor of nine generations back, the
righteous Sheim, was king and high priest in the city. Avram
decided to visit the venerable sage.

The large crowd at the city's gates awoke the sentry's
apprehension, but when he heard it was Avram with Sodomian
captives returning from a successful battle against the
Sumerian invaders, the sentry threw open the city gates. The
news quickly spread of the victor's arrival.

The distinguished elder approached, flanked by a retinue
bearing clay flasks of wine and bread for the fatigued
soldiers. Rashi comments that Sheim wanted to show Avram that
he bore him no resentment for having killed many of Sheim's
descendants. Avram greeted his illustrious ancestor, the
scholarly and righteous Malkitzedek.

The old priest had heard about his spirited descendant,
Avram, who earlier had been at odds with the despotic Hamite
ruler of Ur Kasdim, Nimrod, to proclaim the truth of the
Creator of the Universe. He knew also that after settling in
Canaan, Avram had thrown himself into spreading word of G-
d's existence. The young Avram was truly a man of G-d, a
worthy descendant of Odom and of Sheim's father Noach, whose
trust in G-d had been fully requited in the recent military
campaign.

The country was abuzz at Avram's miraculous victory with an
incredibly small number of soldiers — in fact, not even
trained soldiers but just the servants of his large
household. No one could believe that he had prevailed over
the four kings led by the invincible, fear-inspiring
Kedorlo'omer. The attackers had ravaged half of Canaan and
destroyed a number of power city-states, and were feared
throughout the land.

Looking proudly at his noble descendant, Sheim proclaimed,
"Blessed is Avram to the Supreme G-d, Who has acquired heaven
and earth! And blessed is the Supreme G-d, Who has given your
enemies into your hands!" Sheim then embraced Avram.

Before continuing on, Avram separated a tenth of his property
and gave it as his tithe to the priest. (Bereishis 14:
9-20)

Dovid's Siege of Jerusalem

The Jebusites settled in the city after the Canaanites.

Around the year 1000 BCE, after Dovid had been appointed king
over all Israel, he immediately started preparations to build
the Beis Hamikdosh. He had previously been told by
Shmuel Hanovi where the location would be — on Har
Hamoriah, the site of the Even Shesiyoh (Foundation Stone)
from which the creation of the world had commenced. It was at
this site that Odom, Kayin and Hevel, and Noach had brought
their sacrifices to Hashem. It was here that Avrohom had been
told to sacrifice Yitzchok and where he realized that "Hashem
Yeiro'eh" — on this mountain Hashem would one day be
seen.

To build the Beis Hamikdosh, it was necessary to first
conquer the town known than as Metzudas Zion, formerly
Shalem, where the Jebusites were entrenched.

The Israelites hadn't taken the city when they had first
conquered and divided up the Land of Israel, because of
Avrohom's oath to Avimelech, king of Gerar in Philistia,
hundreds of years before. The Jebusites, who were descendants
of the Philistines, had erected in their town two statues: a
blind man and a limping man (the former representing Yitzchok
and the latter Yaakov) on which was written Avrohom's oath.
Avrohom had promised Avimelech not to attack or wage
aggression against his land as long as his children or
grandchildren would be alive. During Yehoshua's times this
had prevented the Israelites from conquering the city, but
now, 400 years later, all of Avimelech's grandchildren were
dead.

A stone wall surrounded the city, but in addition the citadel
built at the top of the slope had its own terraced protective
wall. To conquer the city, Dovid had to conquer the
citadel.

Dovid gathered his army of 30,000 men and set out for
Jerusalem. After appraising the situation, Dovid called for a
volunteer to lead the attack. "First we will eliminate the
two statues, and then we can commence the invasion. Whoever
seeks to smite the Jebusites must reach their tzinor
and destroy their idols."

Most of the commentaries say that the tzinor was the
town's tower which protected the city. But in light of
excavations, the question has been raised of whether the
tzinor (literally "conduit") might refer to the
underground shafts which supplied the city with water from
the Gichon. Whoever could penetrate the underground shafts
which brought the water to the city could obviously also
conquer the city.

Metzudas Tzion — the citadel — was conquered, and
Dovid settled it and called it "Ir Dovid." He built an
assembly place near the wall and constructed houses near it.
(Shmuel II 5:6-9)

First Beis Hamikdosh Era

During the First Beis Hamikdosh period (from before the
actual Beis Hamikdosh was built by Shlomo Hamelech), Dovid
Hamelech and his court lived in Jerusalem, which was a
relatively small city. The location which is known as the
"Old City" today was not settled during the First Beis
Hamikdosh period and was just an empty expanse bordering the
Har Habayis. It was only developed and settled during the
Second Beis Hamikdosh period.

Sixty per cent of the books of the Nevi'im Rishonim
and Acharonim were written within the walls of Ir
Dovid. Yehoshua, Shofetim, Shmuel, Melochim, Divrei
HaYomim, Megillas Rus, Shir Hashirim, Koheles, Mishlei,
Megillas Eichoh, and Tehillim were all written
here. It was in this small area that many of the dramatic
events recounted in the Nevi'im took place.

Today, to see the source of the Gichon, you follow the stairs
from the Visitors' Center (after paying the entry fee) all
the way down to the valley, where the entrance to the Gichon
is at the right. You follow the underground tunnel until you
arrive at the Spring House, which contains ruins of the
Jebusite fortress and until you reach the source of the
spring.

The Gichon is also visible from one of the shafts built into
the underground tunnel leading to the spring. An opening in a
shaft drops 14 meters down, allowing a view of the flowing
waters of the Gichon. Researchers conjecture that it was
either at this spot at the top of the shaft or at the source
of the Gichon itself that Shlomo was anointed king by Tzodok
HaKohen.

The twilight of Dovid's life was the background for one of
the most dramatic events that occurred here. Dovid's son
Adoniyohu took advantage of his father's infirmity to
proclaim himself king. Backed by army general Yoav ben
Tzeruyah, Evyosor HaKohen and some of the other sons of
Dovid, Dovid's son Adoniyohu arranged a honor guard of
horses, chariots, and 50 runners to go before him and
proclaim him king. The crowds surrounding him shouted, "Long
live King Adoniyohu!" and went to offer sacrifices to
Hashem.

Not called to the celebration were Prince Shlomo, Tzodok
HaKohen, Nosson the Novi and Benoyohu ben Yehoyodo, who were
the king's closest advisors.

Nosson took action and called Batsheva the queen, mother of
Shlomo, to defend her son's right to the throne. She stood
before Dovid and told him how Adoniyohu had proclaimed
himself king and had invited a large crowd, leaving out
Dovid's closest advisors, despite knowing that Shlomo was the
crown prince. Dovid was galvanized into action. He commanded
that Shlomo be placed on the King's mule and brought to the
Gichon spring, accompanied by Tzodok, Nosson, Benoyohu, and
the sages of the Sanhedrin.

There, Tzodok took out a horn of oil and anointed Shlomo the
next king. The crowd played flutes blew on shofars, and
shouted, "Long live King Shlomo!" The thunderous clamor
reverberated all over the mountain.

The immense echo which the valley gave off between the
mountains was heard in nearby Ein Rogel where Adoniyohu's
party was feasting. Uneasy about the far-off sounds of
jubilation, Adoniyohu turned optimistically to Yonoson the
son of Evyosor the Cohen who had just rushed into the
camp.

"Shlomo has just been anointed king and he is sitting on the
king's throne!" came the breathless reply. "There is an
uproar throughout the city, for his kingship was proclaimed
by the Kohen Godol, Nosson the Novi, Benoyohu, and the
Sanhedrin! Dovid himself has blessed Hashem for letting him
live to see a worthy successor on his throne!"

Hearing the news, all of Adoniyohu's supporters vanished and
Adoniyohu was left alone. He fled to the Altar and grabbed
its "horns" and declared that he would not leave it without a
promise of clemency from King Shlomo.

King Shlomo, a mere 12-year old, answered with steely
composure, "If he shows himself a worthy man, not a hair of
his will fall to the ground. But if he is planning evil, he
will die."

Adoniyohu left the altar and bowed down before King Shlomo,
thereby acknowledging him as the uncontested ruler of the
kingdom (Melochim I 1:5-52).

Most people who visit Ir Dovid usually start at the Visitors'
Center, where they can get a clear view of the Kidron Valley
and the Arab homes in Silwan located opposite Ir Dovid. They
can check out for themselves the powerful echo which can be
heard far away when shouting in the direction of Silwan.

Rabbi Yishmoel Cohen Godol's Mikveh

Recent excavations show that the staircase which leads down
to the Gichon spring source, continues underneath the spring.
This newly-discovered ancient staircase opens into a private
room whose entrance had a doorpost and hinge dating back to
the Second Beis Hamikdosh.

It is believed that this room is what was referred to in
sefer Zichron Yerushalayim (written three centuries
ago): "And there [near the Gichon] is a large and deep
mikveh which is called, `the mikveh of Rabbi
Yishmoel Cohen Godol.' "

We have no ancient sources which indicate that Rabbi
Yishmoel, one of the Asoroh Harugei Malchus, actually had a
private mikveh, but it is clear that this room was
used as a mikveh during the Second Beis Hamikdosh.

The developers are planning to break through the wall
separating the room from the Gichon, so that once again the
Gichon spring will flow into the room and it can again be
used as a mikveh.

The Kidron Valley

The Kidron Valley looks pastoral and provincial today, but in
many tragic periods of our people's past it was the site of
dreadful and fear-inspiring scenes, where massacres of tens
of thousands of victims took place.

On one day in the fifth century BCE, the beleaguered Jews in
Jerusalem awoke to find the valley flooded with Babylonian
soldiers who swarmed over the grounds like an ants. Their
spears and swords glinted in the air, and this time, after
carrying into exile only a small number of noble Jewish
families 11 years earlier, the Babylonian ruler
Nevudchanetzar promised the destruction of Jerusalem.

A 20-meter remnant of the entire old wall which protected
Jerusalem can still be seen today going down to the Kidron
Valley. It was constructed on the mountain bedrock, showing
that it was constructed from at least the First Beis
Hamikdosh period. It is located below the entrance to the
underground tunnel. The stones are large, weighing between 4
and 5 tons each.

King Dovid's Palace

In the past two months, the results of two new excavations
have been announced, that include immense findings, laden
with Jewish history. One dig, headed by archaeologist Dr.
Eilat Mazar, explored the ruins of a huge public building
close to the Dung Gate dating back to the 10th century BCE.
She believes that it is the remains of King Dovid's palace,
or perhaps even the earlier Zion citadel that Dovid
conquered.

At the Visitors' Center, visitors can get a peep at the
excavations going on, despite the green tarpaulin covering
the area.

Dr. Mazar found that the foundations for this monumental
building were walls two yards thick and at least 30 yards
long. On the bedrock is a large floor of crushed limestone,
indicating a large public space. Many of the pottery shards
date back to the First Beis Hamikdosh and even
earlier.

Dr. Mazar conjectures that the basement room of this building
served as an archives. One particularly spectacular finding
in a corner of the basement room was a clay seal containing
the name of Yuchal ben Shelemyohu, one of King Tzidkiyohu's
advisors. On the clay seal his grandfather's name, Shavi, is
also given. He is mentioned as an antagonist of Yirmiyohu who
had the novi thrown in a dungeon because he was
destroying the Israelites' morale and resistance through his
frightening prophecies of the upcoming Churban
(Yirmiyohu 38: 1-6).

Just below the presumed palace are the ruins of another large
building which the archaeologists call the House of Achiel
(because a shard of pottery containing the name Achiel in
ancient Hebrew writing was discovered) which was excavated in
the 1970s. This edifice is believed to be an important
government building or part of the royal quarters. The
Babylonians entered this building when they broke though the
city walls on 9 Tammuz. During excavations of ruins adjoining
Achiel House, numerous Israelite and Babylonian arrowheads
and ashes were found, indicating a fierce battle. The house
also contained 53 bullae (seals) in it, including one
containing the name of Tzidkiyohu's secretary Gemaryohu ben
Shofon, who is mentioned in sefer Yirmiyohu
(36:10).

When Jerusalem was burnt down by the Babylonians, the letters
bearing these seals were destroyed, but the clay seals
themselves became hardened by the fire. When the exiles
returned to rebuild Jerusalem during the Second Beis
Hamikdosh period, they built the new city over the previous
city's ruins, leaving these silent witnesses of history to
hibernate over millennia until they were discovered by our
generation.

The Large Water Cistern — or Yirmiyohu's
Dungeon?

Near the area assumed to be Dovid's palace was found an
unusually large water cistern which collected rain water in
the winter and served the city's residents for a large part
of the summer. Excavations have shown that this cistern was
used through several eras going back to the First Beis
Hamikdosh era and may have been the royal family's
private cistern.

The cistern has a 10-meter diameter, and is seven meters
deep, dimensions which are ten times larger than a typical
cistern. Experts say that this cistern probably could have
served well over 200 people.

The unusual dimensions of this cistern suggested that this
may have been the courtyard dungeon into which Yirmiyohu was
thrown by his enemies in the government. "Then they took
Yirmiyohu and cast him into the pit . . . that was in the
court of the prison . . . and in the pit there was no water,
only mud, and Yirmiyahu sunk in the mud." (Yirmiyohu
38:6).

In Jerusalem, the water supply in the cisterns usually lasted
until midsummer, by which time the top layers of water have
already been used up and only mud is left at the bottom. As
recently as the middle of the last century, Yerushalmi youths
would descend into their family cisterns at the end of the
summer to clean out the mud and debris that had accumulated
over the previous months.

Chizkiyohu Protects Jerusalem's Water
Supply

After Dovid conquered the city, the Israelites had lived
calmly and securely in Jerusalem. With the Assyrian invasion
during Chizkiyohu's times, this period of security came to a
brutal and abrupt end. Years earlier, the Ten Tribes were
conquered and taken into exile. And now the Assyrian hordes
were at the gates of Jerusalem.

Maintaining the city's water supply had always been a
critical concern for whoever ruled the city. The original
Jebusites had built a fortress at the bottom of their city
which protected access to the Gichon spring, and they dug
underground tunnels to reach it.

In King Chizkiyohu's times, around the year 700 BCE, further
measures were taken to protect the water supplies. It was
decided to divert the Gichon Spring to a pool in the
southwest side of the city which was better protected from
enemy attack. "He stopped the upper watercourse of the Gichon
and brought it straight down to the west side of Ir Dovid."
(Divrei Hayomim II 32:30).

Two teams of Chizkiyohu's engineers began digging into solid
rock, one from the top of the city, and the other from the
bottom, where the Gichon was located. The engineers dug a 50
cm canal underground for 533 meters, until both teams met at
the same spot and connected the canal. Today, we do not know
how Chizkiyohu accomplished this wondrous feat — for
the two tunnels to meet up — with the knowledge and
tools available to him at his time. It is all the more
wondrous since the canal was not straight but is winding and
curvy.

The engineers left an engraving: "The tunneling was completed
. . . While the hewers wielded the ax, each man toward his
fellow . . . and with three more cubits to dig, there was
heard a man's voice calling to his fellow . . . The hewers
hacked toward each other, ax against ax, and the water flowed
from the spring to the pool, a distance of 1,200 cubits . . .
"

(This inscription was hacked out of its place on the wall
by Arab antique smugglers a century ago, and confiscated by
Turkish authorities. Today it is on display in an Istanbul
museum.)

This tunnel was rediscovered over a century ago. It is still
filled with water as high as mid-calf and at certain points
above one's knees. Today wading through this tunnel takes 45
minutes, and a flashlight is absolutely necessary to see in
the pitch darkness.

The tunnel ends in a knee-deep water basin which was created
during the Byzantine period, and which was known over the
centuries. The ancient Byzantine Shiloach Church was
previously located in this place and its former location is
still marked by broken pillars. The area contains rich flora,
and orchards of figs, pomegranates and other fruit still grow
there.

Freshwater Pool From Alexander Yannai's
Times

An impressive pool which was a freshwater reservoir built
during the Second Beis Hamikdosh was only discovered
several weeks ago. It is believed that the reservoir was a
major gathering place for Jews who were olei regel to
the city.

The pool has three tiers of stone stairs allowing easy access
to the water. This pool was built early in the 1st century
BCE and was destroyed by the Roman Emperor Titus about 70
CE.

The pool was discovered by a repair team excavating a damaged
sewer line last fall under the supervision of Eli Shukron of
the Israel Antiquities Authority. As soon as Shukron saw two
steps uncovered, he stopped the work and called in his
colleague Reich, who was excavating at the Gichon Spring.

When they saw the steps, Shukron said, "We were 100 percent
sure that it was the ancient Shiloach Pool."

This pool was used extensively by Jerusalem citizens and
olei regel throughout the Second Beis Hamikdosh
period and it is speculated that it was built on the
ruins of an earlier pool that existed in the First Beis
Hamikdosh era.

With winter approaching, the two men had to hurry their
excavation so that the modern sewer could be repaired before
the rainy season.

As they began digging they uncovered three groups of five
stairs each, separated by narrow landings. The pool was about
225 feet long, and they unearthed steps on three sides.

It is so far unknown how wide and deep the pool was, because
excavations were not completed. The fourth side lies under a
lush garden behind a Greek Orthodox Church, and the team has
not yet received permission to cut a trench through the
garden.

The pool's creation can be precisely dated because of two
fortunate occurrences that left unique artifacts in the pool
area.

When ancient workmen were plastering the steps before facing
them with stones, they either accidentally or deliberately
buried four coins in the plaster. All four are coins of
Alexander Yannai, a Jewish king who ruled Yerushalayim from
103 to 76 BCE. That provides the earliest date at which the
pool could have been constructed.

As for the date of the pool's destruction, they found a dozen
coins dating from the Churban of the Second Beis
Hamikdosh (66-70 CE) in the soil buildup in one corner.
That indicates that the pool had begun to be filled in by
that time.

Because the pool sits at one of the lowest spots in Ir Dovid,
rains flowing down the valley deposited mud into it each
winter. After the pool was no longer being cleaned out,
because of the Churban, it quickly filled with dirt and
disappeared from public awareness.

Now, more than ever before, one can sense and bring Tanach
to life by walking on the stones and pathways where our
ancestors lived the great events which we, their descendants,
are still studying about from the holy writings they left
us.

Debating the Finds

This summer, the excavations at the top of the City of Dovid
slope were accompanied with much excitement. Dr. Eilat Mazar,
the archaeologist in charge of the site, believes that what
they found could be the palace that King Dovid built after
conquering Jerusalem from the Jebusites.

The excavation was conducted by the Shalem Center, under the
academic auspices of Hebrew University, and in collaboration
with Elad, the nonprofit association that owns the land on
which the City of Dovid Visitors' Center is built.

The excavation took place in a rectangular strip 10 meters
wide by 30 meters long, and the structure that has been
unearthed occupies the entire site, and extends beyond its
boundaries. It is constructed from immense stones that served
as the foundation of a palace. The stones were placed on an
earthen landfill in which hundreds of broken pieces of
pottery were found, mainly cooking pots. Mazar, a senior
fellow at the Shalem Center and a researcher at Hebrew
University, states that the pottery can be dated to the 12th
and 11th centuries BCE, to the Jebusite period, which
immediately predates Dovid's reign.

The large structure might be a palace, temple or fortress,
says Mazar. Her analysis has led her to conclude that it is a
palace. "There have been those who contended there was no
evidence of public construction in 10th century BCE
Jerusalem," says Mazar. "Based on this, they claim that Dovid
and Solomon were not important rulers, as described in the
Bible. Now we have found evidence of such construction, and
those who minimize the importance of Dovid and Solomon have
to deal with the facts. In an out-of-the-way and remote
settlement you would not find a structure like this, the
construction of which required abundant resources and a great
capacity to plan and execute."

The excavation site has not turned up evidence of ritual
practices. Therefore, the possibility that the structure was
a temple seems faint.

"According to the Bible [II Samuel, 5], Dovid
conquered a fortress and then built a palace outside the
boundaries of the Jebusite city," says Mazar. In other words,
the palace was not built atop the ruins of another structure,
but was the first building erected on its site. "Throughout
the entire excavation site, there is no sign of a wall built
before the 10th century BCE," she says. "The construction
that we found was a complicated and intricate engineering
operation that required immense resources. This is the kind
of step that one would expect of a new ruler who wants to
turn the city he conquered into his permanent residence, and
who has an exceptional vision of the future development of
the city."

The structure that has been unearthed is indeed monumental.
It is built atop an 11th century BCE floor, and on top of it
are destruction layers dated to the end of the First Temple
period. Based on this, it is very reasonable that it is a
structure from the 10th or 9th century BCE.

Dr. Mazar admits that so far it is difficult to determine
when exactly the palace was built. But the monumental
construction significantly reinforces the view that Jerusalem
of that time was the capital city of a kingdom, and not
merely a small, unimportant settlement, as some historians
and archaeologists contend. So far, however, they are
unconvinced by the new findings, arguing that it may be from
a later date when they agree that Jerusalem became
important.

An Identifiable Seal

About two weeks before the end of the excavation season, a
rare find was unearthed in one of the structure's rooms: a
bullae, a round clay seal about one centimeter in diameter,
in which its owner's name was inscribed. She realized that
the inscription — three lines in a Hebrew script
characteristic of the late First Temple period —
contained the name of Yuchal ben Shelemyohu ben Shavi, who is
mentioned twice in the Book of Yirmiyohu.

He was a senior minister in the government of Tzidkiyohu. He
is mentioned in Yirmiyohu 37:3 as one of two
emissaries sent by King Tzidkiyohu to Yirmiyohu, asking him
to pray for the people during the siege of Nevudchanetzar.
Chapter 38 tells that Yuchal was one of four ministers who
recommended to the king to kill Yirmiyohu, after which the
prophet was thrown into a clay-filled pit.

A New Site near the Kosel

Another underground site near the Kosel was also opened a few
weeks ago, in the Kosel tunnels whose original opening
sparked Palestinian rioting nearly a decade ago.

The exhibits include a mikveh from the period of the
Second Beis Hamikdosh, and a wall that archaeologists
say dates to the First Beis Hamikdosh.

The new tourist center snakes underground, adjacent to the
path of the Western Wall, the last remaining retaining wall
of the Temple Mount. Visitors will be presented with a sound
and light show of Jewish biblical history, highlighting
recent discoveries of artifacts and infrastructure dating
back thousands of years, including one of the world's oldest
aqueducts.

Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, the chief rabbi of the Western
Wall, said he was not concerned that violence would erupt
after Israel opens the site because it does not extend
underneath the mosque compound.

The Chareidim and the Archaeologists

Other things being equal, the chareidi community has a very
natural interest in the findings of archaeology. The
religious community in general has a very extensive and
intimate relationship with its forebears, and is thus eager
to hear about any new information that has been found. Any
new information that we learn about our great and holy
ancestors should help to bring us closer to them, which will
surely be to our benefit.

It was very unfortunate that the Archaeological Authority in
Israel was headed for many years by Amir Drori, a very anti-
religious person. A very competent bureaucrat, he extended
the power of the archaeologists over development and created
a very strong Authority. He also took every opportunity to
clash with our community, digging up the remains of our
ancestors all over the country and creating very negative
associations about archaeologists for chareidim.

Under his successor the relationship has been much calmer and
there have been fewer conflicts. However that should not be
understood to mean that there are no problems. The activists
in this area have to be as vigilant as ever, but they can
often resolve the issue through quieter means.